At the beginning of May, my dialysis unit (the B Braun Wellstone Midlands Renal Care Centre in Port Laoise) made a suggestion of trying to see how many steps we could take each day to improve our mental health. The suggestion was that we might walk a marathon in the month.

Well, I already did walk quite far, but in that month I have upped my walking even further.

The first week that we measured, I walked 84,628 steps.

The second, 92,468. The third, 57,116. The fourth 75,345, and the last week of the challenge it was 86,308.

Although the challenge has officially ended, I am continuing to record to see how I get on. The last week has seen an even bigger number of steps: 108,518!

Last Sunday, I travelled up to Bray to walk with a group of HIV positive men who meet up regularly for walking and socialising. That day, I walked 24,511 steps. Through the week, I’ve always been above 10,000 each day, with 19,359 on Friday. And then yesterday, Andrew and I went for two long walks in the day, basically so I could see where he was planning to run in the future. I clocked up a whopping total of 27,259!

We walked to the Derryounce walkway and lakes near Portarlington, see pictures below.

The large lake at Derryounce Lakes, County Offaly.
The Bord na Móna level crossing near Derryounce Lakes in County Offaly.

I’m certainly realising that exercise really does help with your mental health. So, let’s see where we manage this week!